Twenty One
by Starbase89
Summary: Sarah's 21st birthday turns to tragedy and someone has to be to blame. no slash
1. Chapter 1

Hey Everyone. This is my second attempt at an NCIS story. I have the story outline figured out, but expect about an update a week.

It was a rare pleasure for Timothy McGee to spend time with his sister. His job took up so much of his time. He managed to get enough done in a day so he could take Sarah out for her twenty-first birthday. It was seven o'clock on a July evening, and Tim was waiting for his sis to pick him up. Normally, he'd be driving, but Sarah had just bought herself a car and she wanted to show it off. He figured he'd be driving on the way home if this went anything like when he turned twenty-one.

He stood outside his apartment waiting to see what his sister had gotten herself. All she had told him were 'red and fun.' Remembering back to when he crashed his Camaro, he couldn't help but be worried.

Coming out of that train of thought, he heard a car horn honk as a faded red convertible pulled up next to him.

"Whaddaya think, Timmy?" Sarah called from the driver's seat.

"What the hell is it?"

"It is a 1991 Buick Reatta. I got it for a steal... and its a convertible!"

Tim looked at the car and shook his head. "It may be a Buick, but cops pay special attention to red sports cars." He lectured as he got into the passenger seat of the two-seater.

"Oh, you worry too much! Where are we going?"

"Well little sis, you are at the wheel and its your birthday. You tell me."

"I know the perfect place. There's a new club downtown that just opened up."

"Sounds good. And since it is your twenty-first, don't worry about having a drink or two. I can drive us home."

"You are an awesome brother, Timmy!"

"Yeah, I know. Let's get this night started."

Sarah nodded in agreement, put the car in drive and headed toward the downtown district.

* * *

When the two got there, they initially sat a one of the few tables together and ordered drinks. Sarah, being of age for the first time, ordered a beer, whilst Tim got himself an iced tea. He wasn't a big drinker, and he wanted to give his sister an opportunity to drink with a safe way home.

As the night carried on, the two separated. Tim had decided that the place was pretty cool. It had good music, a nice atmosphere and some lovely patrons. Come nine-thirty, he saw that they weren't leaving for a while and ordered himself a beer. By the time they'd be leaving, it would have worked it's way out. And while he was chatting with a very sweet and smart med student at the bar, Sarah was dancing on the floor, already a bit tipsy.

Come midnight, both had decided they were tired and ready to leave. Tim had to be at work in the morning and Sarah had class (though the hangover would make that interesting.) Sarah certainly had overindulged, to the point that her brother had to help her two the car. He dropped her into the passenger seat and buckled her in. As he sat down behind the wheel, he dropped the top of the small convertible. He always enjoyed driving his Porsche on summer nights with the wind blowing through his hair. This was no Porsche, but the idea was the same.

He pulled out from the parking space and began to make his way toward the beltway. As he was stopped at a traffic light, he figured out how much sleep he would get before work and how much caffeine he would need to offset said lack. The light turned green and he began to move forward, but a large box truck came from the right. It must have been doing forty.

Tim heard Sara scream as she witnessed the nose of the truck only a few feet from her door. By the time that Tim turned his head, it had already made impact. Sarah's seat was crushed toward Tim's. He felt horrible, excruciating pain radiating from his chest and both his legs. He lost consciousness as the car began to roll.

Before Tim could react, the truck slammed into the right side of the car. The small car folded from front to rear before rolling several times, finally landing on what was left of it's wheels. The truck had also stopped, but only by obliterating several parked cars.

And then all was quiet...


	2. Chapter 2

**McGee was only vaguely aware of what was going on around him. He heard sirens, but they seemed to be far off in the distance. He also thought he heard of a power saw against metal, but he couldn't be sure. Someone was calling to him. 'Who is it?' he thought to himself as he once again noticed the severe pain in his right leg. He tried to look down, but he couldn't move. Something was holding his head and neck in place. He began to realize that there were more people around him than made sense.'What is going on?' was the last thing passing through his mind before he passed out again.**

* * *

****

The emergency room of the Washington Hospital Center was unusually quiet, even for a Monday night. A case of food poisoning and two guys who had gotten into a bar fight were the worst of the night. That is, until the ambulance bay doors crashed open.

"What have he got?" asked the lead trauma nurse as he guided the EMTs to empty bays.

"Motor vehicle accident. These two were in a small car that was T-boned by a large moving van." one of the EMTs responded while squeezing a bag valve mask. "This one here is in her twenties. She has multiple broken ribs, two broken femurs and she stopped breathing on our way in."

"Take her to Trauma-1. Dr. DeForest will meet you there." replied the nurse. "Who else?"

"He's in his thirties. He was responsive when he was extricated, but fell unconsciousness soon after. His head appears to have struck the door of the car. He also appears to have a fractured right femur and possibly a broken hip."

"Trauma-2." said the nurse as the gurney was guided to that station.

* * *

****

The ER had quickly gone from quiet to chaotic. The doctors and nurses were scrambling to keep the man and woman who had come in alive. A short time after they came in, a third came through the doors. He was being held onto the stretcher by police as he was trying to get off the stretcher to leave. His breath reeked of of alcohol and his right foot was dislocated. He managed to get off the stretcher only to set down on his bad foot and notice that he was handcuffed to the side rail.

"Who's this charmer?" asked the nurse at the desk.

"This is the driver of the moving van that hit the car." the officer replied, trying to keep himself calm when all he wanted to do was to throttle this low life.

* * *

****

"I need six units of O negative now!"

Sarah lay prone on the gurney, lacerated and bruised with both legs broken. It was good that Tim couldn't see her now.

"Doctor, I've got no breath sounds on her left side. I think she's got a pneumothorax."

"Get a chest tube ready. Give her an amp of epinephrine," The doctor said as he prepped to insert the chest tube. He made a small incision on her chest and inserted the tube. When he saw what came out of the tube, he knew it was bad.

"Its a hemothorax. She's bleeding into her chest cavity. Transfuse two units O negative now," commanded the doctor. All of a sudden, the heart monitor monitor started screaming.

"She's in V-fib."

"Damnit! Start a bolus of lidocane. Get me the paddles."

Everything began moving very quickly. Sarah's condition was deteriorating rapidly and the doctors and nurses were doing their damnedest to keep her alive.

"Charge to three-sixty. Clear!"

Sarah's body jumped as the potentially lifesaving current passed through her body. Unforutately, her heart did not respond. Then, the monitor changed to a flat line.

"She's in asystole, Doctor."

"Begin CPR. Push another amp of epi."

The nurse immediately began chest compressions, knowing they were likely futile. They continued CPR for nearly ten minutes without a response. Two minutes beyond that, the doctor ordered the nurses to stop.

"Time of death, 00:27 hours, July 10, 2012."

* * *

****

Tim began to regain consciousness soon after he arrived in the ER. He quickly became very aware of an unbelievable headache which seemed to cancel out all other pain. As he opened his eyes, the light made his head throb more, if it were possible. He could see a man in white looking at him, his lips moving but not saying anything.

"Sir, you were in a car accident and are at a hospital. What is your name?"

MeGee was finally able to get past the pain and hear what he has said. He wasn't sure if he could speak, but he had to try.

"Timothy McGee." He managed to get out before he thought of something else, panic gripping hold of him "How Sarah?"

"She is being taken care of in the next room. Is there anyone we should contact?"

"Call Gibbs." he whispered out before falling unconscious again.


	3. Chapter 3

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was enjoying the little time he had to himself. He nursed a mason jar half-full of bourbon as he mortised a hinge on the toy chest he was building for Mira. He hadn't seen enough of them since Mike died and he planned to change that fact.

As he finished rounding out the corners on the lid, his phone rang. It wasn't his cell phone, which is what most people knew. It was the old rotary wall phone that he had never been bothered enough to upgrade to touch tone. The phone number that very few people even knew. He noticed the wall clock's reading of one-thirty in the morning and dread began to fill his famous gut. He walked to the phone and picked up the receiver as he breathed a heavy sigh.

"Gibbs."

"Is this Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" replied a female voice

"That's right."

"My name is Dr. Katherine Pulaski. I work in Washington Hospital's Emergency Department. I have you listed as the emergency contact for Mr. Timothy McGee."

As soon as he heard the name, he began to feel ill. "What happened?"

"Mr. McGee was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident and was brought in nearly two hours ago."

"And WHY has it taken this long for me to be contacted!?"

"He briefly regained consciousness and told us his name only recently. We still have no identification for his passenger, who I am sorry to say just passed away from her injuries."

Gibbs' anxiety and paternal instincts began to take over his being. "I'll be there in five." Within a minute, he was pulling out of his driveway. All he could think about was who could have been in the car with him. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Abby. Each of the three rings felt like an eternity, but she did answer.

"Hello. Who's this?"

"Abby, it's Gibbs." he said in an urgent tone.

"Why are you calling so late. What happened?" fear beginning to fill her voice.

"McGee was in a bad car accident. I'm on my way to Washington ER."

"Is he alright?" Abby asked as the beginnings of crying entered her voice.

"He's alive. Call Ducky and have him meet me at the ER as soon as he can. "

"I'll be there too."

Initially, he was going to tell her to stay home, but he knew it would be futile. "Drive safe." was all he said as he hung up. Now he had to check on Ziva. Again, he dialed his cell phone, but it only rang once before she answered.

"David." came a groggy greeting.

With the weight of the the stress and his own emotions, he let slip "Thank God you are there."

Instantly concerned, she got up and began dressing. "What has happened?"

"McGee was involved in a bad car accident. A female passenger in his car was killed. I was concerned as to who it was."

"Have you called Abby?"

"Yes, she and Ducky are going to meet me at Washington's ER. I want you and Tony to meet me there as well."

"Of course, of course. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Ziva, Please drive safely."

Thinking but for a brief moment, she replied, "Yes, sir." and hung up.

Gibbs closed his phone as he pulled up to the main doors of the emergency department, leaving his truck sitting in front of the doors as he ran inside.


End file.
